


Distances

by Hajimehinata-kun (KrystieT)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: HiNaegi Festival 2019, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 00:07:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19734406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrystieT/pseuds/Hajimehinata-kun
Summary: Written for Hinaegi Festival 2019, Prompt 2: Future Foundation/Rehabilitation/Post-Despair"Does Hajime have a crush?" Makoto asked, mostly out of curiosity. Hajime laughed nervously."Well, yeah, I guess you can say that…" he trailed off, blush growing on his cheeks.





	Distances

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 2 of Hinaegi Festival 2019!  
> We'll see if I end up continuing this later!
> 
> Some notes: There are other pairings mentioned that didn't work out- let me make it clear I don't hate any of them (in fact I really love some of them) but for the sake of the story, it didn't work out.

"... and there’s not much else to report. This town got incredibly lucky the terrorists missed their target. Mikan and I are working on evaluating the mental and physical status of the survivors. Mahiru and Hiyoko are taking inventory and documenting the damage. Kazuichi, Gundham, Nekomaru, Akane, Peko, and Fuyuhiko are clearing the rubble and possibly finding more survivors… or corpses, but I don’t think that’ll be the case either way. Nagito, Ibuki, ‘Byakuya,’ and Mitarai are keeping the children entertained and safe. Teruteru is still managing food supplies and teaching volunteers how to use the stock they have… and of course Sonia is still in Novoselic trying to bring Europe back together, so she's not involved." Hajime listed off, letting out a big sigh, and then looked at the screen at Makoto, who was nodding along.

Finally, he smiled widely.

"You all did a wonderful job with this mission on such short notice, Hajime! Thanks for your hard work!" Makoto cheered.

"Any time," Hajime replied with a tired, but genuine smile. "Unless we discover something new, I don't foresee us having to stay here long. All things considering, these people were able to escape most of the damage and are in general unharmed. It's mostly the tragedy that they lost a shelter that was once safe from most of the Despair plaguing the world… but of course, all of us are working at making the world a safer place. We'll be able to leave before the rescue ships finally come in… I'd say maybe three days before." Hajime took a sip of his tea, partly because he was tired and just needed something to keep him awake a little longer, but mostly because he was pretty parched. He had needed to keep talking to people pretty much constantly throughout this whole fiasco, and only now, with his report to Makoto, was he able to somewhat relax.

"That would be good! Hajime must be really tired. If there was any other way…" he started, looking concerned. Hajime simply waved the statement off.

"Yeah, a little tired, maybe, but there's been worse days. Besides, we owe a great debt to you and this world, Makoto. We can handle it, I promise."

Makoto was still worried, but chose not to say anything.

"So where are you heading after this? Novoselic? You’re not too far from there, right?"

"Maybe… I know we're all itching to see Sonia again and try to help her, but from the looks of things, she's doing rather well. Still, no harm in helping where we can," he shrugged.

"Sounds good!" Makoto smiled. "And how have you been doing, Hajime?"

"Just tired… but I can't complain much. We're usually all able to take turns. I'm sure once we're done here, it's back to the normal schedule," he said with a sigh. "But enough about me, I've already given my full report," he gave a wry smile. "How have you been holding up? You're looking pretty exhausted yourself."

"I can't hide from you," he laughed softly. "Yeah, it's been pretty hectic in HQ. Since our call last month, it's just been a lot of travelling. I sleep somewhere new every few days, it seems, so I can't relax enough to sleep well before finally having to get up in the morning. I don't really mind so much, especially considering all that these people went through… It is just really bad timing, honestly. That's why I really appreciate your help with this, Hajime. I have only  _ just _ gotten the city here taken care of, and it wouldn't have been if I had to do this one and that town's at the same time."

"That sounds even more stressful…" Hajime empathized.

"Yeah, but it's worth it! These were the last two sites so far, so if I'm  _ lucky _ , I might be able to catch a break."

"... by the way, Makoto, are you and Kyoko still…?" Hajime started, but then trailed off, wondering if maybe this wasn't a good time.

"Are we still on a break?" Makoto finished. He propped his chin on his right hand, closing his eyes. "Yeah, kind of. Although I think… this may be it. Kyoko and I… we may be done."

"I'm sorry", Hajime replied solemnly. Makoto just shook off the melancholy.

"It's fine!" he said. "Honestly, I thought I'd feel more upset. If anything, I'm more sad it didn't work out than that Kyoko broke up with me… does that make sense?"

Hajime nodded thoughtfully. From the times he had spoken to Makoto before the break up, it was clear that the then-couple were no longer able to feel for each other romantically. They definitely had a spark before, Hajime was  _ well  _ aware of that, but having Kyoko be his superior, and Makoto always having to travel around, the distance between them physically made them grow distant from each other as well, until they felt they couldn't be recognized as a couple in a romantic relationship. They’d gone on and off the last few months, now, but if this is it, he felt quite bad for Makoto.

"Honestly, it's a bit of a relief," Makoto continued. "Kyoko and I are getting along better again, but the feelings we had for each other aren't there any more. I think we are much better friends than lovers… but it was a nice thought while it lasted."

Hajime contemplated that thought, processing it. He almost didn't notice Makoto speaking up once more.

“Hajime, how about you?” he asked innocently.

Hajime held back from reacting with surprise.

“You think I’d have experience in this?” he asked, intending to come off jovial, but he internally winced at the slight stony edge.

"Oh, sorry, sorry! I just… I thought a guy like you would have dated by now…" Makoto bit his lip. Hajime took a small, calming breath.

"It's okay, I don't mind… it just came out a bit suddenly?" He then moved to scratch his chin in thought. "Before all of…  _ this _ , dating wasn't exactly on my mind. I mean, yeah, I've had crushes… but my fixation was to be worthy of other people first. Hindsight is 20/20, or so they say. In my case, there's even more regret to be had…"

"I'm sorry I brought it up," Makoto started softly, but Hajime simply smiled it off.

"No, it's okay. I don't exactly have personal experience in dating, or breaking up. I've never been in that kind of relationship… but I am aware that it's an option."

"Does Hajime have a crush?" Makoto asked, mostly out of curiosity. Hajime laughed nervously.

"Well, yeah, I guess you can say that…" he trailed off, blush growing on his cheeks.

"A classmate?" Makoto asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. At Hajime's silence, he assumed he crossed a line. "Ehehe, you don't have to answer that, Hajime…"

"I  _ did _ have crushes on some classmates," Hinata started softly. "I certainly had a crush on Chiaki… at Hope's Peak Academy and in the game. Both of them supported me in a way I didn't really have before. And then before I fully realized my feelings, she was gone. And Nagito is… complicated. The two of us have talked it out, and we both think it would be too destabilizing for him to start a romantic relationship when he doesn't even fully get how friendship works. And I know some of the others harbor…  _ something _ for me, but it's mere infatuation, I'm quite positive about that."

"I see… so then, will you and Nagito think about it for the future?" Makoto was shocked to see Hinata shake his head in answer.

"I don't really think it would be a good idea anymore… I do think the bond we have is very  _ unique _ , but… I have another in mind. I don't want to start a relationship with Nagito like that when I can't be what he needs. We're best friends, now, and unless something changes, we can remain that way."

"So it's  _ not _ Nagito… or any of your classmates?!" Makoto spoke a little louder than he intended. Hajime sighed, crossing his arms, and Makoto recoiled back, admonished.

"It doesn't really matter," Hajime continued. "The person on my mind… it's better the way things are now. Love, having a girlfriend or boyfriend… if I can avoid it, I will. Those relationships take time and effort, and we  _ don't  _ have any to spare. And since they're  _ not  _ a classmate, even if I formed a romantic relationship… there's no way it will work out."

Makoto didn’t seem convinced. “How would you know that?” he asked. “I don’t really regret starting a relationship with Kyoko. Even if it was tough, we still tried it. At least for the both of us, we realized it didn’t work out. How do you know it won’t work if you don’t try?”

“I was given the talent of the Ultimate Analyst, and it’s extremely unlikely to work out,” he answered matter-of-factly.

“But that means there’s still a small chance it  _ will  _ work out, right?” Makoto pleaded. It was almost as if he was taking this personally, Hajime noted, but decided not to push it. It was probably still tough for Makoto that him and Kyoko didn’t work out like they all thought it would.

“When I said extremely unlikely, I was really more-”

“You’ve not been able to predict things before, right, Hajime?” Makoto interrupted determined. Hajime wasn’t shocked exactly, but even if he knew it was coming, it could still take him aback whenever Makoto got incensed by something, considering he was usually an easy-going guy.

“... well, yeah, you’re right about that…” Hajime pondered. “I see where you’re heading with this, Makoto, and I appreciate it, but… I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.” Makoto visibly deflated.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to push you…” he smiled sheepishly.

“You’re fine,” Hajime reassured. “Look, I’ll make you a promise- if I still have feelings for them and decide to confess, you’ll be the first to know.”

Makoto smiled, and nodded. “Okay great! I hope things go well for you when it happens.”

“When…” Hajime laughed under his breath. A beep from his watch made him look down at it for the time. “I think we best end this for now, Makoto. I gotta get a nap so that I can relieve Mikan’s shift. Let me know how things are with you, okay? We’ll talk next month again, same time.”   
Makoto smiled regretfully.

“Yes, of course! It was nice talking to you, too, Hajime! Until next time, then! Sleep well!” he said with a wave to the screen. Hajime waved back as he closed the screen.

He went through the motions of closing up the communications system for the night, then methodically made his way to his room. Once he sat on the bed, he let out a groan, his right hand clenched in front of his heart.

He got  _ very _ close to ruining everything again, dropping hints like that. Makoto fortunately didn’t quite pick up that the crush he had was on  _ him _ , but if he kept slipping like that, Makoto would definitely start suspecting it. And while Makoto is a very reasonable guy and would likely reject graciously, Hajime’s problem was that his own feelings would get in the way.

Makoto right now was in need of support, with him and Kyoko broke up fairly recently. Even if Hajime confessed, he’d always be on edge comparing his relationship to Makoto with Makoto’s relationship with Kyoko. And besides, Makoto was a very busy man saving the world pretty much every day. For him to be associated with the “leader” of the Remnants of Despair would be detrimental to everything they’ve been working for... They’d be forced to keep it a secret if they really wanted this world to heal.

He fell to the bed roughly, staring blankly at the ceiling. This was certainly not a good time to be having feelings, but at the same time, he was glad for them. It made life harder, but that made it interesting, and therefore worth it. He would  _ never _ let himself lose all emotion and feelings again. If anything, he likely deserved to feel pain like this.

It helps no one if he isn’t there to help where he can, regardless of his inner turmoil. He’ll handle it  _ after _ the crisis was completely averted. He allowed his body to be lulled into a dreamless sleep for the next few hours.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Makoto was just finishing up his meeting with several Future Foundation members about how they were going to relocate the survivors of the attack. Though everyone alive was able to be put in temporary shelters and fed, the cleanup would take too long for this to last. They needed transport to another location to wait until the town is sufficiently rebuilt. With issues of money and workers willing to help with this project, this was no simple task. Fortunately, a consensus seemed to be reached- mostly because of Byakuya’s help.

As Makoto was packing up all the documents, Byakuya waited for him, looking out the window.

“You were distracted the whole meeting,” he commented sourly. “Not that this is exactly your area of expertise, but you could have at least _ pretended  _ to show some interest.”

“Oh… was I that obvious?’ Makoto asked sheepishly. Byakuya sighed deeply.

“How’s Kamukura?” he asked instead of answering Makoto. Makoto was taken aback by the sudden question and stuttered out his reply.

"W-well…class 77 seemed to have handled the situation really well!"he started. "They've split off to work on different areas and Hajime reported that they should be done before the Future Foundation responders arrive. I think things are going very well."

"Thank you, but I wasn't asking for a report on what Class 77 are doing," Byakuya said. "I don't think it takes an hour to gather that little of information, especially if things were going smoothly."

"Well, yeah… I guess we kind of went off tangent?” he answered nervously. “I just wanted to know if Hajime and the others were doing alright, really. We've helped each other through quite a lot, so it makes sense that I want to get to know them better, right?"

Byakuya glared at Makoto, then sighed.

“Look, I may not  _ approve _ of this… whatever it is you have for Kamukura, but whatever trouble you inevitable get yourself into, Kyoko and I’ll be there to drag you out of it… again. Your stubbornness in trying to hide your... feelings for him is wasted on me.” With that, Byakuya brushed passed Makoto (who was shocked by Byakuya’s bluntness), but suddenly stopped at the door.

With a sideways glance, he continued, “And if Kyoko is right in assuming you haven’t told him yet, I suggest you get a move on before things get even more complicated. She wanted to tell you to talk to her for a new assignment.” He then left Makoto to his own thoughts.

Now alone, Makoto leaned against the window, looking out at the setting sun. He sighed tiredly, partly because it _has_ been a hectic few weeks, and partly because he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his feelings hidden forever. He wasn’t sure when it was he began to become attracted to Hajime. For months now, they’ve been keeping up these monthly meetings, and talking to Hajime was like a small break in the normal routine. He grew to look forward to seeing Hajime and listening to the antics his classmates have gotten into. He found someone he could trust with talking about Kyoko and his classmates without misunderstanding or letting others find out about it. Where most of the world saw him on a pedestal, Hajime was one of the few that saw him as a true friend and treated him well without any expectations of having it returned back in some other form (although Makoto would always remind Hajime of his gratitude).

Once he realized his relationship with Kyoko was dimming out, Hajime was there to help him come to terms with it. There were a few times where he’d talked about it for hours, agonizing over what he could have done better. Hajime’s patience with him must have been tested to the brink, yet he was always there, a calm and reassuring presence.

And Makoto thinks that must have been when he’d started to fall for the man, who he already held admiration for when he’d made his own path to the future, and then later saved Makoto and his friends in that final killing game. He’d tried to push the feelings down because he truly did care for Kyoko, even when the relationship was crumbling beneath their feet. He even thought maybe he’d managed to do just that a few times, but something small would remind him of his desire to see Hajime again, and he’d have to deal with those rocky feelings of uncertainty all over again.

Truth be told, even now that he and Kyoko were back to being friends again, he didn’t know if he really wanted to tell Hajime his feelings. A part of him was thinking about the consequences- if his and Kyoko’s relationship didn’t work out because of distance, then his and Hajime’s would be even worse, right? They were only able to speak monthly to reduce any suspicions about Future Foundation and the Remnants of Despair, and usually the conversations lasted for no more than an hour or two because they were always moving around and in different time zones. Very rarely have they managed to speak for longer. The good thing is that they do still message each other occasionally, though it always starts off as something to do with work. And yet, despite his doubts, there was still a seed of hope… maybe they could both find a way.

That is, if Hajime even returned his feelings in the first place. Even asking Kyoko to be his girlfriend took him a few years, and by that point it was obvious the attraction they had towards each other. And with Sayaka, she surprisingly asked  _ him _ out first. He never knew the Hajime before Hope’s Peak Academy did something so terrible to him, and even when Hajime smiles, there are times when Makoto wonders if they are genuine or not because they appear blank. Trying to gauge how Hajime may feel about him has been difficult. He was starting to think maybe Hajime already  _ knows _ he has a crush on him and is not saying anything because he just doesn’t want to let him down.

He watched as the sun had completely set behind the ocean before he finally moved out. Once again, he’d need to get up early, but at least tomorrow’s schedule would be the emptiest it would be for the past few weeks… depending on whatever it is Kyoko assigned to him, of course, but she  _ normally _ doesn’t assign anything the day she briefs him about it unless it’s urgent.

Before he knew it, he was in bed, tie haphazardly dropped on the floor as he tiredly pulled the covers over himself. He’ll probably regret not changing into something more comfortable, but he was well and truly  _ exhausted _ , not having any trouble falling into the blissful abyss of sleep.

Hopefully... hopefully there'll come the time when his feelings are resolved peacefully, too.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking about long distance relationships a lot lately- stories of when they do work out, stories for when they don't... and with Hinaegi, there's the additional fact that one is still a massive criminal in the eyes of the public, while the other is seen as the Hero of the world. I didn't set out to write angst, but it kind of happens XD
> 
> I have in my mind a resolution of sorts, but if I continue this, it'll be for another time XD For now, embrace the pain of mutual pining! ;)


End file.
